Illegal Substances
by JJCookie16
Summary: 23 year old, Marine Bio major, Duo Maxwell's life is ripped apart when he gets an unexpected phone call from the sheriff's office of his home town across the country. His parents have been involved in what seems to be a burglary and are now dead. Left an
1. Chapter 1

Title: Illegal Substances

Author: JJCookie16

Disclaimer: I don't own nor make any money from this story.

Warnings: Yaoi...the plot is completely my own however, no series spoilers.

Rating: M

Genre: Angst, Drama, Slight fluff, Alternative reality

Authors Note: This first chappy is short, I know. Let me know what you think and if it's worth posting the next installment. I've already got the next two chapters finished.

Summary: 23 year old, Marine Bio major, Duo Maxwell's life is ripped apart when he gets an unexpected phone call from the sheriff's office of his home town across the country. His parents have been involved in what seems to be a burglary and are now dead. Left an orphan, can Duo with the help of the local authorities help to find his parent's killer and maybe love in the process?

Chapter 1:

Duo groaned miserably as he rolled over to glance at the glowing digital numbers on his bedside clock. Being that it was the first day of winter break, he had intended to sleep past eight o'clock, but the insistent ringing of the telephone was quickly ruining that carefully laid plan.

Not bothering to check the caller id, he picked it up and barely suppressed growling into the head set. "Hello?"

"Mr. Maxwell?"

"Yeah, this is he."

"Sir, this is the Fallbrook County Sheriff's Department. There has been an incident at your parent's residence and we need to speak to you as soon as possible."

Duo blinked at the phone in his hand, wondering if this was some elaborate joke or if he was still dreaming. "Who is this?" he asked.

"Mr. Maxwell, this is Officer Sharon McIntyre at the Fallbrook County Sheriff's Department..." she repeated slowly, letting the information sink in. "I'm sorry to inform you that both your parents have been shot and killed in what appears, at this time, to be an attempted burglary."

"Burglary? What happened?" Duo asked, his head feeling like someone had stuffed it with wool. Nothing seemed to be making any sense, and he was getting more confused by the moment.

"We're not sure at this present time, it is being investigated as we speak. There are forms and questions that we need your assistance with, so the soonest you can get down to the Sheriff's office the better."

Duo shook his head and quickly stumbled out of his bed, trying not to get caught in the sheets. "I'm in Florida right now, I just started my winter break and I have a plane ticket to come back home..." he started, trying to get his thoughts in order.

"Do you need someone to pick you up at the airport Mr. Maxwell?"

"Uh, yeah I won't have a car and I'm not old enough to rent one either..." Duo explained, pulling out a suitcase and quickly tossing in every article of clothing he could grab.

"Alright, if you'll give me your flight number and which airline you'll be coming in on, I'll have an officer waiting for you when you arrive. He'll make sure to bring you straight here so we can answer all of your questions and finalize any paperwork."

"Fine, okay," Duo nodded.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Illegal Substances

Author: JJCookie16

Disclaimer: I don't own nor make any money from this story.

Warnings: Yaoi...the plot is completely my own however, no series spoilers.

Rating: M

Genre: Angst, Drama, Slight fluff, Alternative reality

Summary: 23 year old, Marine Bio major, Duo Maxwell's life is ripped apart when he gets an unexpected phone call from the sheriff's office of his home town across the country. His parents have been involved in what seems to be a burglary and are now dead. Left an orphan, can Duo with the help of the local authorities help to find his parent's killer and maybe love in the process?

Chapter 2:

Several hours later found Duo nervously gripping the handle of his suitcase while trying to locate the officer he was supposed to be waiting for. A light hand touched his shoulder a minute later, and Duo nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Mr. Maxwell I presume?"

Duo stared open mouthed at the tall, wiry brunette standing in front of him. Half his face was hidden behind a wave of hair that cascaded down the side of his face, but what was visible was nothing short of stunning. One visible Emerald eye gazed down at him from a face that looked to be chiseled out of marble. High cheekbones and a strong jaw line practically had Duo wanting to reach out and touch him to make sure he wasn't dreaming again. If all the Sheriff's men looked anywhere near as nice as this one, Duo was going to have a hard time going back to Florida when school started up again.

"Mr. Maxwell?" the officer asked him, his lips quirking down in a concerned manner.

Realizing he must have been staring too long, Duo averted his gaze and tried to laugh it off. "Sorry, still a little groggy I think. I wasn't quite awake when I got the phone call and now the jet lag..."

The soft smile returned to the officer's face and he motioned towards one of the doors leading out of the airport and to the parking lots. "If you'll follow me then I'll take you to the car."

Duo obediently followed the officer to where his squad car was parked and after stowing his bag in the truck, climbed into the passenger's seat. "Oh, I never got your 

name..."

"Barton, Trowa Barton."

Now Duo had a name to put to the gorgeous man sitting next to him, though he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He had a feeling his dreams were going to be featuring said man for quite awhile.

The drive from the San Diego airport to Fallbrook was done in silence, partly because Duo wasn't sure what to say and he was afraid of making an idiot out of himself and Trowa wasn't very talkative in the first place. Once they finally arrived it was as if everything slowed down to a snail's pace and yet at the same time went by so quickly Duo felt like he'd missed most of it. The office was buzzing with activity, and he was led to a room where an older man of about 50-60 years waited for him impatiently.

Most of what he'd heard over the phone was repeated to him and then he was asked a bunch of questions, most of which he couldn't answer because he hadn't been there.

"Mr. Maxwell you knew about your parents' dealings in Marijuana, correct?" the officer asked him.

"Of course, they've been doing it for years. But it was legal, they had permits and they went to court over it!" Duo protested, feeling as if he had to defend his parents actions to this man. "They didn't sell it on the streets or anything, they were growing it for people with medical problems who had prescriptions from their doctors. They kept copies of everyone's medical histories at the house, you can check, even the doctor's knew about it!"

Fallbrook was a small town, not even on most maps in fact. So the community was tightly knit and everyone knew everyone else's business. It was no secret that his parents had a veritable Marijuana garden growing in the basement of their house, but it was done for legal reasons and the people who benefitted from it were those dying of cancer and other terrible diseases. His mother had taken to growing small amounts of it when her great-uncle was diagnosed with cancer and the pain was so bad that only the drugs would get him through the last of his days. After he passed away, his mother had done much research and found that their own small community was full of people just like her great-uncle, all suffering needlessly because their doctors wouldn't prescribe the drug or they couldn't get enough to keep the pain at bay. For an entire year she had fought in court rooms in order to grow the plants legally and distribute them to people who needed it. Eventually she had won, to the relief of some and the scorn of others.

"Well, as it looks at this point, we're chalking it up to an attempted burglary gone wrong," the officer huffed.

"You think they were trying to steal the plants?" Duo assumed.

The officer gave him a rather disgusted look, "You're parents had enough Marijuana down there to make any junkie's wet dream come true!"

Obviously this man was of the opinion that what his parent's were doing was illegal and wrong, no matter what the courts had decided.

"So then why did they try to break in at 9 o'clock in the morning? Why not in the middle of the night like most burglars?" Duo asked, trying to figure out the time line and reasoning behind it.

"If it was some tweaked out kid, they probably couldn't tell the difference between night and day if you asked them!" the officer spat in disgust.

"Do you have an idea who might have done this?" Duo asked, not really expecting a decent answer.

"I was going to ask you that actually, Mr. Maxwell," the man sneered down at him.

"Why would I know? I haven't been in California since March," Duo spluttered indignantly. What the hell did this man think he was going to get from him anyway? If they had checked into him at all, they would know that he had been attending college in Florida for the past three and a half years; only coming home during the holidays.

"There was no sign of forced entry, your father's body was found right in the entryway with the door standing wide open. Your mother was obviously caught down in the basement, she was shot from behind. Probably as the assailant was coming down the stairs. About a quarter of the plants seem to be missing Mr. Maxwell and nobody saw anything. If it wasn't for your neighbor taking her trash out and hearing the gun shots, you probably would have found them when you came home." the officer explained, squinting accusingly at him.

Duo suddenly felt as if he was going to pass out and throw up at the same time. His head was spinning as his imagination took the story and reenacted it for him in vivid clarity. "Oh God..." Duo moaned.

After that, Duo wasn't sure what happened. One minute he was sitting in that room being interrogated by the Narc. officer and then he was sitting in a hard wooden chair, dazedly watching as different officers scurried around the outer room like rats in a cage.

"Mr. Maxwell? Is there anything I can get for you? Coffee? Water? Juice?" a female voice asked from his right side.

"No thanks," he croaked, unable to even turn his head enough to look at her.

"Alright, but if you do need anything, please feel free to ask. My name is Sharon McIntyre, we spoke on the phone this morning."

Duo just nodded silently, vaguely remembering the woman's voice that had shattered his entire life this morning.

"Mr. Maxwell?" now a familiar male voice was calling from somewhere in front of him.

Dredging up the last of his reserve strength, Duo lifted his head enough to look up at Officer Barton who stood a few feet away from him. "Yeah?"

"Since you can't go back to your house yet, we have an officer who is going to take you to a hotel for the night," he explained.

For a moment Duo wanted to protest and ask why Trowa couldn't go with him. He certainly didn't want to be saddled with someone like the Narc. officer he had just been with. But right now the thought of a bed was sounding more and more appealing by the minute and he didn't care who got him there.

"Mr. Maxwell?" a rough nasally voice called.

"Duo! For pete's sake already just call me Duo," Duo growled, a headache bursting behind his eyelids.

The officer that had called him was about 5'7, whippet thin, with hard blue eyes and messy chocolate colored hair that looked as though he'd just been blown in from a tornado. With the slightest hint of Oriental features tilting his eyes up, the man was another one that Duo was sure was going to be featuring in his dreams. "Oh no..." he moaned piteously.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Illegal Substances

Author: JJCookie16

Disclaimer: I don't own nor make any money from this story.

Warnings: Yaoi...the plot is completely my own however, no series spoilers.

Rating: M

Genre: Angst, Drama, Slight fluff, Alternative reality

Authors Note: Thanks to all the great people who have reviewed, I appreciate it. I'm working like crazy on this story, so I will keep updating regularly. I'm trying to keep everyone in character as much as possible and also keep it based in reality, so if something seems over the top or ooc please let me know. You're thoughts and comments are appreciated. ;-)

Summary: 23 year old, Marine Bio major, Duo Maxwell's life is ripped apart when he gets an unexpected phone call from the sheriff's office of his home town across the country. His parents have been involved in what seems to be a burglary and are now dead. Left an orphan, can Duo with the help of the local authorities help to find his parent's killer and maybe love in the process?

Chapter 3:

"I'm here to escort you to the hotel you'll be staying at until your house is released," the officer explained.

"Ya, Officer Barton gave me the run down. Thanks, I think I could use a nap right about now," he replied, giving a quick wave to Trowa who was watching from his desk.

Once inside the squad car, Duo remembered something, "Hey you think we can make a quick stop over somewhere before the hotel?"

The officer quirked an eyebrow at him, "Where exactly?"

"My friend's house, he'll want to know I'm home and I have to tell him what's happened," Duo said, putting on his best puppy dog face.

Grunting in agreement, the officer steered the car out of the parking lot and followed Duo's directions.

"What is it with you guys? First Barton and now you? Doesn't anyone introduce themselves properly anymore?" Duo asked, trying to get the officer's attention.

Realizing that he had indeed forgotten to tell the other his name, the officer sat up and glanced over at his passenger. "Heero Yuy, and I apologize, that was very rude 

of me."

Another interesting name to put to another gorgeous guy. This was certainly turning out to be an interesting trip home.

Rounding the last bend in the road, Officer Yuy stopped the car in front of possibly the largest house in Southern California. Sitting on nearly ten acres of land, the sprawling eight bedroom, six bath farm house was an oasis in the middle of the small hick town. Duo had practically grown up here with his best friend and was very eager to see him again. Sprinting up the walkway and bounding over the low gate, Duo rapped twice on the front door and then rang the bell twice. Hurried footsteps could be heard on the wood floors inside, as someone unlatched the door and opened it.

A mop of sunshine blond hair appeared, with a set of baby blue eyes peeking out from unruly bangs. "Duo?!"

"Hey Quatre..." Duo greeted, suddenly unable to get anything more past the lump in his throat.

The door was flung wide and before Duo had a chance to get a step inside, his best friend had him in a hug that was sure to leave bruises. "Oh God Duo, I've missed you so much. I just heard what happened, and I'm so sorry," Quatre murmured.

Duo could feel the hot tears sliding down his cheeks as Quatre held him close and kept reassuring him that everything was going to be alright. The pain that he hadn't felt before was suddenly overwhelming him and if it weren't for Quatre's support he would have fallen. "Quat, what am I gonna do now? I can't even go home..."

"You're going to stay with me and we're going to figure this out Duo," Quatre said, matter-of-factly. Watery, violet eyes looked up at him. Quatre hadn't seen that much pain so clearly in so long that his heart clenched in response.

Suddenly Duo remembered that he was supposed to be driven to a hotel. "Officer Yuy was taking me to a hotel for the night." Duo glanced back over his shoulder where the officer was standing next to the driver's side of his car.

"Hello Heero, it's good to see you again. Come on up, we'll go inside and talk," Quatre greeted, steering Duo inside.

"You two know each other?" Duo asked.

"We have...mutual friends," Quatre hedged, piquing Duo's interest. He'd get the real story out of the blond one way or another.

Once seated in the comfortable and spacious living room, Quatre served drinks and turned to face Officer Yuy. "Heero, Duo is more than welcome to stay here with me 

until everything is cleared up. In fact I don't really feel comfortable letting him stay in a hotel by himself," Quatre stated.

"He wouldn't be alone, I've been assigned to him until otherwise notified," Heero replied.

"Wait a sec...assigned to me? Like a body guard or something? I don't need someone looking over my shoulder, thank you very much," Duo huffed, crossing his arms stubbornly.

Quatre sighed, assuming Duo couldn't take care of himself or telling him what to do was a fast way to get on his bad side. And if Heero had to stay close and keep an eye on him, this could get very complicated. "I doubt Heero will get in your way Duo, he's very respective of other's space."

"If I wanted a watch dog I would have gotten a pitbull," Duo growled.

"The investigation is still open and we don't have any suspects yet. For all we know they could be out looking for you too," Heero said.

Duo's mouth snapped shut, he hadn't thought of that and in fact it was a little sickening to hear. Why would they come after him when they obviously got what they wanted? His headache was suddenly back with a vengeance and wished for not the first time that day that it really had all been a bad dream.

"Duo? Are you alright?" Quatre's concerned voice slowly broke through the fog enveloping his brain.

"Quat, can I go lie down for a while please?" Duo asked, feeling as though he hadn't the energy to even stand up anymore.

"Of course Duo. Come on, we'll get you settled in the guest room," Quatre replied, pulling him up from the couch and leading him away.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Illegal Substances

Author: JJCookie16

Disclaimer: I don't own nor make any money from this story.

Warnings: Yaoi...the plot is completely my own however, no series spoilers.

Rating: M

Genre: Angst, Drama, Slight fluff, Alternative reality

Summary: 23 year old, Marine Bio major, Duo Maxwell's life is ripped apart when he gets an unexpected phone call from the sheriff's office of his home town across the country. His parents have been involved in what seems to be a burglary and are now dead. Left an orphan, can Duo with the help of the local authorities help to find his parent's killer and maybe love in the process?

A/N: Okay, here comes some fluff...very slight, more in a hurt/comfort way. Still trying to keep everyone in character as much as possible. But keep in mind this is AU, so even though I know the guys are tough as nails usually, they're in a situation they've never been in before. I'm taking it very slowly with the pairings, I want to build up some good situations rather than just throwing them in a closet together and locking the door...though that does give me ideas, hmmm. ;-) So remember to read and review, and thanks to all you wonderful people out there who already have, I love you guys!

Chapter 4:

Duo wasn't sure how long he slept, but it was twilight by the time he opened his eyes again. For a moment he thought he was back in his room in Florida and he hesitated getting out of bed. Maybe it all had been a really bad dream, he'd gotten home, gone to Quatre's passed out and he'd imagined it all.

His hope was dashed by the shrill ringing of his cell phone and suddenly Duo felt as if he was experiencing deja vu. Biting his lip and trying to steady his shaking hand, he picked it up and managed a hoarse "Hello?"

"Duo?! For the love of God man, where the hell are you? I came by this morning and you were gone, I've been trying to call you since 9 o'clock!"

"Wufei?!" Duo exclaimed, all the tension draining out of him until he was left sitting on the floor.

"Yes it's me, now are you going to tell me where you are or do I have to send out the National Guard?" Wufei demanded.

"I'm sorry 'Fei, I got a call early this morning and I had to catch the first flight home...my parents..." Duo faltered, unable to say anymore.

"Duo? Are you alright? What happened?" Wufei asked, panic beginning to settle 

in at the tone of Duo's voice.

"My parents got shot...they're saying it was a burglary, but now they're watching me. I'm staying at Quatre's because I can't go home...I...I..." Duo was starting to fall apart again and Wufei could hear his ragged breath over the phone line.

"Duo I'm getting on the next plane out there, I'll be there as soon as I can," Wufei replied.

"But you were going home for the holidays Wufei...don't come out here. I'll be fine, really," Duo protested, gulping back the tears that were threatening to fall.

"We can argue this when I get there, my parents will understand. Duo...I'm coming," Wufei stated, putting all his force behind it.

"Okay, thanks 'Fei," Duo replied, suddenly desperate for Wufei to get there as soon as possible.

The mood in the house was somber and quiet as Duo walked into the kitchen to try and find something for his ravenous stomach. Peeking into the living room, he saw to his surprise Officer Barton sitting next to Quatre on the couch and Officer Yuy in an armchair. They were talking quietly and watching something on the television, though Duo couldn't see or hear it from his vantage point. Figuring he might as well make his appearance sooner or later, Duo meandered into the living room and seated himself on the floor by Quatre's feet.

The blond looked down, startled at the pressure against his leg, but relaxed when he saw Duo's head resting on his knee. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, and I got a call from Wufei back in Florida; I guess I forgot to tell him I was leaving. He's taking the next available flight out here," Duo replied.

"Did you want to talk to me about something Officer Barton?" Duo asked, realizing that the brunette was staring at him.

"No, actually I was just here to see that you were alright and that Heero didn't need anything," he replied.

Duo glanced over at Officer Yuy, who's attention was riveted to the television. "Well I'm as good as can be expected I suppose."

Trowa just nodded and settled back against the couch. Duo's head was still hurting slightly, but he had the strange impression that he was missing something very vital at the moment. Everyone looked far too relaxed for the circumstances and Quatre's words were nagging him incessantly. But Quatre's hand gently running through his hair was distracting him from concentrating, so he eventually gave it up until he could think 

more clearly.

The evening wore on and at some point Duo fell asleep again with his head on Quatre's knee. Someone had carried him to bed though, because that's where he found himself when he woke up screaming out loud from a nightmare. The blackness of the room was split when someone opened the door and rushed to his side. Strong arms embraced him as images of his dead parents swarmed his vision and he cried out to them. Panting harshly and feeling as though he was going to crack straight down the middle, Duo buried his face in the warm chest and clung to the shirt for dear life.

"Shhh, easy now. Breathe Duo, breathe for me, come on," Heero coaxed the trembling boy in his arms. His room was right next to Duo's and he'd heard the first shouts and had come to see what was wrong. Although he was glad Duo wasn't being attacked, from the way he was acting it would argue otherwise.

With Duo curled into a shaking, shivering ball in his lap, Heero realized that it might be some time before he was able to leave again. So, he scooted back until he was resting against the headboard and pulled the blankets up around them. Not sure how awake Duo really was, he continued to rub comforting circles on his back and coo gently to him until he calmed down enough to fall asleep. Trying to extricate himself from the death grip Duo had on him proved useless and only seemed to agitate the sleeping boy more. Heero was used to dealing with hysterical women and even upset kids, it came with the job, but the boy in his lap was neither and probably only a year or two younger than him. He really wished Trowa was handling this case instead of him now.


End file.
